After reading the entire post, Chu Feng had only one thought: The owner of this website might soon become the standard-setter in the exorcism world, gaining extremely powerful influence...
Did my Exorcism Agency really come up with this? It's only been a few days, how could it be possible?
Puzzled, Chu Feng subconsciously took out his phone and called Lin Qiu, who was far away in New York.
RING... RING... RING... The phone rang for quite a while before it was picked up.
"Chu Feng, big boss, First Exorcist, you finally deigned to call!" Lin Qiu on the other end of the line sounded quite resentful of Chu Feng's hands-off approach. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt
Feeling somewhat embarrassed about his own behavior, Chu Feng could only resort to the classic excuse, "I've been busy, you know!"
"Even if you're busy, it's not..." Lin Qiu didn't get to finish before a subordinate suddenly knocked urgently on the office door.
"Chu Feng, hang on a moment!" Lin Qiu whispered into the phone before putting it face down on the desk.
"Manager, we've secured the contract for the Champs-Élysées community in Manhattan! From now on, we'll handle all their Bizarre incidents. Here's the contract..."
"That's great! Immediately go find Manager Taran and assign a few Third Level Exorcists and one Fourth Level Exorcist to be stationed in the Champs-Élysées community."
Lin Qiu spoke very quickly, her words carrying an unexpected air of decisiveness.
"Okay, I'll go right now!"
After the sound of a door opening, the room fell quiet again.
"Boss, are you still there?" Lin Qiu's tone softened instantly when she picked up the phone again.
"Yes, Lin Qiu. These past few days... you've really matured a lot!" Chu Feng remarked, somewhat impressed. In just a few short days, the girl who was so anxious at the opening had changed considerably.
Lin Qiu didn't answer. Instead, she recalled her experiences over the past few days; they had been more exciting and fulfilling than anything she had encountered in the first half of her life.
"By the way, I'm calling this time because there's something..."
After listening to Chu Feng's account, Lin Qiu on the other end of the line sounded very happy.
"Boss, you have Taran to thank for this! When I was supervising the building's construction, Taran, Dimo, and Amita weren't idle either!"
"You mean to say... they're the ones who set up the website?" Chu Feng was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that the three of them, while lying in their hospital beds, had accomplished so much.
"Taran and the others were responsible for compiling the Exorcist content, and the website was outsourced to a studio!" Lin Qiu said, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Thank Taran and the others for me. Also, the Spirit Essence I left behind is for you all to use. Don't neglect improving your strength!"
Although I want to thank my friends properly, I can't go back right now. For now, I can only compensate them with these resources.
"Okay, I'll tell them. By the way, there's something else I need to report to you!"
"Hmm? Any tricky issues?"
"Not really. It's just... we've slightly modified the Task Points rules you established. The agency also needs Exorcists for some garrison duties, so..."
"You can decide on these minor matters!"
It's normal for rules to need appropriate adjustments once the agency is operational; there will inevitably be many aspects that differ from my initial plans.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. I still have a debt to collect!"
"Uh... okay, goodbye, Chu Feng."
After hanging up, Chu Feng glanced at the time on his phone. It's been almost two hours since the second Gate of Breaking Boundary shattered, and the federal government still hasn't made the payment...
A flash of impatience crossed Chu Feng's eyes. He frowned and had no choice but to call Terry again.
Unfortunately, this time the phone rang for a long while until a voice prompt eventually played; Chu Feng's call went unanswered.
What's happening? Chu Feng wondered, looking at his phone screen with some confusion. After all, there's still one brightly shining Gate of Breaking Boundary left in the city!
In a hospital ward in Washington, Commissioner Terry, whom Chu Feng couldn't reach, lay unconscious in bed.
Two figures pushed open the ward door and entered, one after the other.
"What did the doctor say about Terry's condition?" the leading man asked, frowning as he stood beside Terry's bed and glanced at his secretary.
"His condition is very bad. The doctors say there's a high probability he'll never wake up!"
After hearing his secretary's report, the man was silent for a long moment.
"What does the police department say?"
"It was the Holy Advent Society. They've kidnapped Terry's daughter, Rachel!" The secretary's tone was grave; he clearly held out no hope for Terry's daughter, now in the hands of the cultists.
"Hm? I thought Rachel had just returned home? How did those damned cultists know..."
Before the man could finish, he seemed to realize something, and his expression instantly darkened.
"Those damned bastards!"
After cursing fiercely, the man turned abruptly and strode quickly out of the ward, his secretary hurrying to follow.
After they left, the ward fell silent again, the only sound the rhythmic ticking of the machines.
TICK-TOCK. TICK-TOCK. TICK-TOCK...
Terry, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes. His jet-black pupils stared straight at the ceiling.
A doctor in a white coat pushed open the ward door. He instructed the nurse beside him, "This patient needs more intensive care! Although there's a high chance he might become a vegetable, he was sent to us by the federal government. So, at least until he's discharged, there must be no issues with his care!"
Just before the two entered, Terry, whose gaze was fixed on the ceiling, seemingly sensed their approach and quietly closed his eyes again.
The doctor took a flashlight from his white coat pocket, switched it on, and approached Terry. He pried open Terry's eyelids and shone the light into them, checking from side to side.
Observing the patient's slow and sluggish pupillary response, he shook his head gently.
"Sigh... I doubt this guy will wake up!"
After the two left, Terry, on the hospital bed, opened his tightly closed eyes again. His head slowly turned towards the ward door, his vacant gaze following the two retreating figures.
Seconds later, a black dot suddenly appeared at the bottom of Terry's eyes, which had momentarily returned to normal.
Then, like a drop of ink spreading in a glass of water, the encroaching blackness quickly dyed Terry's eyes pitch black once more.
An incredibly bizarre smile abruptly appeared on his previously expressionless face, his lips parting so wide it seemed as if all his molars would be exposed.